Apr

12

Balanced Scoring The Key As Kings Spank Trail Blazers 103-86

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Sacramento Kings swingman John Salmons got the rare opportunity to start in Friday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers; the first half didn’t go so well for Salmons, but he more than made up for it, scoring 18 second-half points in leading Sacramento to a convincing, 103-86 win over Portland at Arco Arena.? The win was even more impressive in the fact that the Kings were without Ron Artest and Brad Miller - both out with injuries.

Portland didn’t shoot very well in the first half, and the first half score indicated their shooting woes as Sacramento went into halftime with a 51-41 lead; the Kings’ Salmons would assert himself in the third quarter, scoring 10 points in the period as the Kings went into the fourth quarter leading 78-62.? The Blazers?wouldn’t put up much of a challenge from that point on.? Sacramento, of the 8 players that?played, had 7 in double-digits, led by Salmons with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals while Kevin Martin and Fernando Garcia scored 16 each - with?Martin grabbing 7 rebounds, dishing out 2 assists, along with a steal and a block while Garcia grabbed 2 rebounds, dished out 2 assists and a steal.? Spencer Hawes added 15 with 7 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.

Portland was led by LaMarcus Aldridge with 24 points, 15 rebounds, 3 steals and 3blocks while Travis Outlaw, from off the bench, scored 18 with 2 rebounds and an assist; Channing Frye added 15 with 14 rebounds and an assist.? Sacramento (37-42) will remain home to host the New Orleans Hornets Saturday while Portland (39-40) returns home to host the Dallas Mavericks - also on Saturday.

Apr

12

Pacers Remain Alive In Playoff Hunt, Beat 76ers 85-76

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In a previous article that I had written regarding the Pacers, I had mentioned that the unsung hero at that time was Mike Dunleavy; Friday night would find a new hero in Danny Granger.? Yousee, he did a bit of scoreboard watching when not in the game against the Philadelphia 76ers and apparently didn’t like what he saw; more than likely, he was scoping the Atlanta-New York Knicks results.? Granger scored 15 third quarter points, leading Indiana to a big, 85-76 win over Philadelphia at Wachovia Center; the win kept the Pacers alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Granger hit a 3-pointer early in the third quarter as Indiana went up 48-37; he also hit a basket when Philadelphia got to within 58-56 and would also score 5 points late in the period after the Sixers got to within 62-59.? Granger scored 6 more points in a 15-2 run in the fourth quarter that pushed the Pacers’ advantage to 82-65 and putting the game out of reach.? Indiana was led by Granger with 30 points, including 3 treys, 12 rebounds, a steal and 2 blocks while Dunleavy scored 15 with 2 rebounds, an assist and 2 steals.?

Philadelphia was led by Andre Miller with 23 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal while Thaddeus Young scored 21 with 5 rebounds, an assist and 2 steals; Samuel Dalembert, while scoring only 7 points, grabbed?17 rebounds,?dished out an assist, 2 steals and 2 blocks.? Indiana (35-44), hoping to stave off playoff elimination, returns home to?host the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday?while Philadelphia (40-39) makes the short trip to Washington, D.C. to face the Wizards - also on Saturday.

Apr

12

Houston Cools Off Suns 101-90

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Wednesday night the Houston Rockets won without Tracy McGrady. Friday night they won without Shane Battier. They have been playing for months now without center Yao Ming, but some how they keep finding guys to step up, and keep on winning their latest victory coming Friday night, as they defeated the Phoenix Suns 101-90. It was the Rockets fifth straight win.

The two teams played it tight in the first quarter, as Houston led by a razor thin 29-28 margin. But the Rockets blasted off in the second quarter, as they held a 59-47 lead as the two teams went into their respective locker rooms at the half. Houston increased their lead to 82-66 at the end of the third quarter. Even though the Suns outscored Houston in the final quarter 24-19, it was far too little too late and the Rockets walked out with an easy victory.

The Rockets shot 51.1% (45-88) from the floor for the game. Leading the way was Tracy McGrady who scored 22 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, despite playing with a sore shoulder. Luis Scola in the starting lineup scored 19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, Carl Landry scored 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists. Bobby Jackson scored 13 points, 4 rebounds.

Phoenix was led by Amare Stoudemire, who recorded a double-double 37 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 1 assist. A revitalized Shaquille O’Neal had a double-double, as he scored 16 points, 11 boards, 4 assists, 1 block, Leandro Barbosa scored 12 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block. Gordan Giricek scored 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists. Houston is now 54-25, Phoenix 53-27.

? Copyright 2008 thesackattack.com?

Apr

12

Cavaliers Hot Start Wasted Bulls Win 100-95

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LeBron James scored 24 points in the first quarter, and the Cleveland Cavaliers looked like they were on their way to blowing out the Chicago Bulls Friday as they led 33-25 at the end of the first period. Problem for Cleveland was there are four quarters in a NBA game, and although the Cavaliers were strong in the first and the fourth they were shall we say, not so strong in the middle two periods, as the Bulls defeated Cleveland 100-95. Luol Deng led the way for Chicago with 21 points, LBJ scored just 10 points in the remaining three periods.

Cleveland is limping into the playoffs, they have now lost 6 of their last 9 games. For this loss to come at the hands of a dysfunctional Chicago team, with former Cavaliers guard Larry Hughes as an opponent must have made the loss harder to take. After grabbing the 8 point lead at the end of the first quarter, Chicago outscored Cleveland 28-14 in the second quarter, hence they had a 53-47 advantage at the half. Cleveland still seemed out of sync when?they came back in the third, as they trailed the Bulls 82-65 heading into final 12 minutes. The Cavaliers of the first quarter returned in the fourth as they outscored Chicago 30-18 but they had dug themselves too deep a hole and could not climb out.

Luol Deng?scored?21 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block,?1 assist.?Tyrus Thomas?recorded a double-double,? scoring 20 points, 14 boards, 3 assists, 3 blocks, Joakim Noah also registered a double-double scoring 17 points, 11 boards, 4 blocks, 1 assist, 1 steal. Ben Gordon scored 16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists.

LBJ scored a game high 34 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists. Joe Smith came off the bench and scored 20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, Delonte West scored 16 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals,?1 block. Zydrunas Ilgauskas 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist, Devin Brown scored 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists. Chicago is now 31-48, Cleveland 43-36.

? Copyright 2008 thesackattack.com?

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